Many women experience annoying and debilitating symptoms associated with menstruation. Amidst the cramps and the lack of energy lurks low self-confidence and anxiety which must be endured until the end of the monthly cycle when hormones once again normalize. Hormones, however, are not solely to blame for this lack of confidence and anxiety. The generally unaccommodating personal and public restrooms used by women to dispose of and change their feminine hygiene products, such as tampons, often exacerbate their anxiety.
Tampon use typically involves three components, an applicator, a tampon within the applicator, and the packaging in which the applicator is held. Many women try to reinsert the applicator in the packaging after its use, but find that the packaging has torn apart or is not big enough to be used for this purpose hygienically.
Most female bathrooms lack a trash receptacle within each stall within which to dispose of used tampons, tampon applicators, and tampon packaging. As a result, hygienic disposal of such feminine hygiene materials is a frustrating problem. Women sometimes try to flush all the tampon materials down the toilet. This practice often leads to clogged and overflowing toilets, and clogged sewage systems.
Further, the tampon components can be bulkily wrapped in large wads of toilet paper and disposed of in the trash receptacles. However, this method of disposal quickly overflows the receptacles, potentially violating medical waste disposal rules public establishments must follow. Consequently, many women find themselves having to endure the embarrassment of carrying their tampon and applicator out of the bathroom stall for disposal in a larger, public trash receptacle. However, this disposal is grossly unhygienic and humiliating as it rarely goes unwitnessed by another. In short, a discreet, compact, and sanitary manner for disposing of feminine hygiene products is needed.
While these units may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present disclosure as disclosed hereafter.
In the present disclosure, where a document, act or item of knowledge is referred to or discussed, this reference or discussion is not an admission that the document, act or item of knowledge or any combination thereof was at the priority date, publicly available, known to the public, part of common general knowledge or otherwise constitutes prior art under the applicable statutory provisions; or is known to be relevant to an attempt to solve any problem with which the present disclosure is concerned.
While certain aspects of conventional technologies have been discussed to facilitate the present disclosure, no technical aspects are disclaimed and it is contemplated that the claims may encompass one or more of the conventional technical aspects discussed herein.